Why Camp Counselors Make Great Leaders
A recent blog by Stanley Bergman, CEO of Henry Schein, Inc, a Fortune 500 company, underscores the skills and character of camp counselors.
Bergman’s perspective underscores what we as camp directors know from years of experience seeing young people give their all to care for the campers in their charge. They commit themselves to continually caring for children, spending hours, days, weeks and months concentrating on maximizing the camp experience for those under their care. Even the most devoted parent spends maybe a couple-few hours with their child; imagine the fortitude it takes to spend 24 hours a day with multiple young ones. The best counselors are truly special people indeed.
For Bergman, summer camp was a powerful training ground for him as a future business leaders. Many of the tenets of leadership that remain with him today as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company were first ingrained during those sun-filled days.
Five lessons he took with him in the business world are:
- Be flexible, nimble and innovative
- Be inclusive
- Be a coach, facilitator and mentor
- Tolerate reasonable risk and teach how to fail successfully
- Celebrate achievement
See excerpts of Bergman’s piece below, with the whole blog available at this link.
Be flexible, nimble and innovative:
- Like a counselor facing a bunk full of restless campers when the rain won’t let up, leaders must be flexible, nimble and innovative.
- Since change is the only constant, leaders must fully embrace the challenge of changing conditions, they must always look for new avenues for success, and they must be nimble enough to do what is necessary to engage the restless camper.
Get everyone on the field:
- Great leaders are inclusive. They recognize the strengths and talents of each individual, and they encourage passionate participation to drive collective success.
- Being a good leader is not just about telling people what to do. It is about rallying the team to understand and believe your company’s goals and culture, and to feel a personal stake in the team’s overall success.
- Likewise, a deep appreciation for a diversity of perspectives provides any leader with a rich tapestry of experience to draw upon.
Be a coach, facilitator, and mentor:
- Team members look to great leaders for guidance and encouragement. Always take advantage of opportunities to share your knowledge with others.
Tolerate reasonable risk and teach how to fail successfully:
- As the great basketball player, Michael Jordan, once said, “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”
- Great leaders have a tolerance for reasonable risk-taking, and accept occasional failure as a learning opportunity. You can’t learn to swim without diving in.
Celebrate achievement:
- Much like a great camp counselor, leaders know that celebrating success is important. We recognize exceptional work, which inspires each of us to think creatively about new ways we can help achieve our company’s goals.